Evaluating Online Information Sources

This assignment focuses on critically evaluating online information sources. It emphasizes the importance of considering factors like accuracy, objectivity, purpose, and links when assessing the credibility of online content. The assignment also compares and contrasts popular email services like Gmail and Yahoo Mail based on criteria such as attachment size, security features, user interface design, and advertising policies.

Integrated Professional Skills
in the Digital Age

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The given report will investigate regarding integrated professional skills in digital age
including use of Information & communication technology (ICT). Information & communication
technology can be explained as technologies which are responsible for providing access to
information with the help of telecommunications. This assignment will going to select two email
providers such as Gmail and Yahoo mail in order to to carrying out proper comparison as well as
contrast between them. It will also consist required skills for evaluating overall online resources
in respect to select the most appropriate one to gather accurate information for specific purpose
in correct way.

Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
TASK...............................................................................................................................................4
Two different email providers to compare & contrast features and their applications &
suitability for businesses.........................................................................................................4
Skills need to evaluate online resources.................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Information and communication technology (ICT) refers to an infrastructure and
components that are responsible for enabling modern computing for various purposes. The term
ICT usually accepted to mean all devices, networking components, applications & systems
which combined allow individuals as well as organisations including businesses, non profit
agencies, governments & criminal enterprise in order to interact in the digital world (Huda,
2019). The present report will focus on two mail providers along with discussion comparisons
and contrast features of them. It will also includes applications and suitability of these mail
providers. The required skills regarding evaluation of online resources are given below.
TASK
Two different email providers to compare & contrast features and their applications & suitability
for businesses
The term ICT (information & communication technology) can be described as overall
technology utilised for handling telecommunications, broadcast media, intelligent building
management system, audiovisual processing and transmission systems and network based

control & monitoring functions. It can be considered to be similar to information technology but
focusses towards communication technologies primarily which consist internet, wireless
networks, cell phones and other communication mediums respectively. However, it is necessary
to develop more effective as well as efficient skills to utilise this technology in order to fulfil
several purposes by people (Arnold and Boggs, 2019). Moreover, it consist various kinds of
email providers like Gmail, Zoho mail, Outlook.com, Mail.com, Yahoo! Mail, GMX, Proton
mail, AOL mail and many more. It has been analysed that Gmail and Yahoo! Mail very popular
among people as their features are described further.
Gmail can be considered as as much effective free email service providers to people for
completing to send and receive desired information. It is known simple & user friendly and
provides over 10 GB of free storage which has an excellent spam as well as facilitate to gain
access through mobile devices. However, it is efficient to render voice ad video chat along with
text chatting on regular basis to citizens in order to fulfil their own desires. In addition to this,
one of the much appropriate facility of Gmail consist to give serach feature to gaol lost old
messages and Gmail messages can be grouped nicely with related responses which facilitate to
read the information in the context. Meanwhile, it is also helpful in context of providing
customised email facility for individuals, organisations and businesses. Moreover, Gmail has one
more criteria of giving further service to manage customised email and make a person capable to
even host it on their server after proving that the websites belongs to them.
Yahoo!mail refers to an efficient best free mail services that is available in web as well
as mobile devices. They provides several facilities such as social networking, instant messaging,
SMS texting and unlimited media storage. However, a person who prefer to use Yahoo!mail
become able to view photos, videos and slide shows right from inside of their mailbox
(Blaschke, 2018). It is helpful to make an individual capable to send up to 50 files or 100MB file
size in a single email. However, it is observed that messages are automatically sorted and
organise lower priority messages like newsletters & coupons into folders accordingly.
Compare and contrast
Parameters Gmail Yahoo mail
Flexible Size of Attachments It provides permission to attach
up 25MB size file but larger
files can be attached through
Users are allowed to only
attach files of size 25 MB.

google drive (up to 10GB size)
Security Services They offers two step verification
in which a person should login
with password and code which
is sent to registered mobile
number, the alerts also sent
when anyone tried to hack or
tries to change password.
Yahoo secure client by
phishing attacks and use 'sign
in seal' to secure sign in.
User Interface Design Gmail lacks an intuitive design
including sent main, draft &
inbox in left ad spam & trash
can be accessed via drop down
menu.
Yahoo main is observed to
have simple and clean user
interface design as it consist
inbox, drafts, sent, spam &
trash in left.
Advertisement Policy The Gmail shows two small,
unnoticeable advertisements
located just below and above the
email list pane.
This consist the invasive and
policy as there is a vertical
banner ads on right side of
screen with small sponsored ad
below the folder on the left
side.
It has been analysed that Gmail and Yahoo mail consist differentiated relevant facilities.
However, Yahoo mail home screen indicates more than emails whereas Gmail as it focuses on
emails only. Meanwhile, Gmail is better at screening span as compared to Yahoo mail. In
addition to this, it has been evaluated that Gmail provider POP access for free while at the other
hand Yahoo mail offers the same fro a fee. Moreover, Gmail renders email forwarding for fre
whereas yahoo mail offers the facilities for a fee respectively.
Skills need to evaluate online resources
The evaluation of online resource are essential to be understand by individuals in order to
gather desired information from internet. It is necessary for people to develop more effective as
well as efficient skills which are helpful to collect more appropriate information related to

specific topic in respect of completing desired purpose. Firstly, it is essential evaluate that who
published the content and then analysed where was it published (Dede and et. al., 2016).
Secondly, when the content was published and determine truthful as well as integrity of the facts.
Thirdly, how the content is written and presented along with cited references within the article.
However, there are number of aspects which are required to be focussed for generating related
abilities that provide help to gather accurate as well as authorised information. Moreover, it
consist authorship, publication, currency & relevance, accuracy, purpose & objectivity and links.
Authorship – This consist to develop a skill to analysed that whether author has
considered an eligibility of the content and it is also mandatory to make sure about expertise of
author in specific subject which has been discussed in particular article. It is required an author
should have credentials to back up their knowledge of the subject matter (Novakovich, Miah and
Shaw, 2017). However, it consist the ability to analyse that named of author has been given on
website along with the content and it an author may credibility of they are mentioned in anther
authoritative websites often times.
Publication – It has been observed many times that names of author are not mentioned
on online articles with content then publisher of resource can be checked for authority. It consist
to take a quick look on the website and focus on specific factors like websites name, its logo, the
URL of the website and other indicators which helps to prove reliability on the particular topic.
However, it has been evaluated that trustworthy websites usually ends in .org, .edu, .gov or any
other recognisable web address. Moreover, there is an another choice for checking reliability of
site of publisher with the help of their Contact Us and About Us page.
Currency & relevance – In context of conducting investigation, it is analysed that
timeliness and currency plays an important role in respect of making interferences in collection
of information as well as conducting overall analysis. However, it is well known that proper
funds and duration of time is very essential to be put for conducting in appropriate research as
accuracy of information should be accurate for gaining better findings & results. In addition to
this, it is essential develop skill to gather and analyse information because data changes
throughout the years. Moreover, it is observed that obsolete data can be found in academic
articles including research reports as well as thesis (Raju, 2017).
Accuracy – The accuracy of gathered information matter a lot then it is essential for an
individual to determine correctness of writer's grammar and other language ability. It has been

analysed that overall publications consist minor mistakes but poor spelling and grammatical
errors can easily reflect about carelessness of an author which may result to distrust.
Purpose & objectivity – The online resources of services its purpose as it should
explain, inform, teach or persuade. However, by reading an article, relevant information can be
gathered which may become evident about what the article aims to impart to its readers.
Moreover, it is necessary develop a skill to determine the purpose and objectivity factor in online
article to collect appropriate content.
Links - It has been analysed that links are generally utilised to cite and credit references
which are found in other websites. It consist that links of the content are much usable and related
to specific topic of the content at the time of evaluation.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that ICT can be described as combination of
all devices, networking components, applications & systems to provide relevant services to
individuals and organisations. It involves comparison and contrast between Gmail and Yahoo
mail including several parameters Flexible Size of Attachments, Security Services, User
Interface Design and Advertisement Policy.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Arnold, E.C. and Boggs, K.U., 2019. Interpersonal Relationships E-Book: Professional
Communication Skills for Nurses. Saunders.
Blaschke, L.M., 2018. Self-determined learning (heutagogy) and digital media creating
integrated educational environments for developing lifelong learning skills. In The
Digital Turn in Higher Education (pp. 129-140). Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
Dede, C. and et. al., 2016. Teacher learning in the digital age: Online professional development
in STEM education. Harvard Education Press.
Huda, M., 2019. Empowering application strategy in the technology adoption: insights from
professional and ethical engagement. Journal of Science and Technology Policy
Management, 10(1), pp.172-192.
Novakovich, J., Miah, S. and Shaw, S., 2017. Designing curriculum to shape professional social
media skills and identity in virtual communities of practice. Computers &
Education, 104, pp.65-90.
Raju, J., 2017. Information professional or IT professional?: The knowledge and skills required
by academic librarians in the digital library environment. portal: Libraries and the
Academy, 17(4), pp.739-757.